When I awaken in Harvestella, the first thing I notice is the hazy, sepia hue of the world around me. Specks of dust float in the air above, and a strange crystal-like formation juts out against the grey skies behind me. I don't know how I ended up in this place, or why I was lying on the ground outside, but I'm beckoned by the very same mysterious winged figure who roused me from my unconscious state. I begin by heading down a small, empty village street. Everything is quiet, and I appear to be alone. Upon inspecting the door of a house nearby, the voice of a child responds. "Big scary monsters will gobble you up if you're outside when Quietus comes", the child says from the other side. The inhabitants of the house adjacent also don't dare emerge right now. It's clear that being outdoors at this point in time is not the done thing, so just how did I come to be in this situation… and what is it about "Quietus" that scares everyone so much?
I continue to head towards the otherworldly figure who appears to be trying to help me. They declare that I will be the one to save the world, and that I'll understand more in time. I don't have any idea what is going on, why the world needs saving, or who I am for that matter, but I can't deny I'm instantly intrigued. After some more ominous words, I'm soon met with the sight of a glowing, red light that radiates from big crystal shards protruding from the mountains on the horizon. Suddenly, I collapse to the ground, and so many questions hang in the air. As a fan of farming sims, I stepped into the Harvestella demo for its agricultural offerings, but its opening moments hook me into the several mysteries I'm now determined to solve.
Familiar farming
The demo for Harvestella lets you experience several in-game days leading up to Chapter 2. The character creator includes a variety of pre-set looks to choose from, with the option to be male, female, or non-binary. Many of the mechanics of the farming action RPG feel familiar, from its farming tools and how you use them to its combat system. Thanks to the local doctor, Cres, I find myself back on my feet and set off to Lethe Village to visit her clinic. The village is home to several shops that come into play later, such as a smithy and general store where you can buy seeds and supplies.
Cres, who informs me that I'm suffering from memory loss, is the first character to tell me about Quietus. In Harvestella, crystals known as Seaslight are attributed to the different seasons of the world. When the Seaslights start acting strangely, Quietus - aka the season of death - begins to occur in between seasons. The Quietus season and what caused it appears to be one of the great mysteries of Harvestella, but it's certainly not the only one. It soon becomes evident that there's more going on in the world than meets the eye, and several instances that transpire at the beginning of the adventure pique my curiosity.
It's not long before I get set up in a "shed" just outside of the village, which is actually a rather roomy little home where you can sleep to end a game day. Not unlike the way you have to get to bed before 2am in Stardew Valley, Harvestella's cut-off point is at midnight. The few instances it started getting late, I was automatically returned home to start a new day. After the initial setup of the adventure, Cres shows me a small plot of land outside of my home where I can plant crops to source some income.
With a grid-based format, all of the tools you initially need are given to you, with the exception of a hammer I need to craft to clear out some stones taking up space on the soil. I make quick work of tilling the land, popping down some seeds, and watering them with a fancy looking hose pipe. The crops naturally grow over time, and once they do, I can harvest them and pop them in a delivery box to earn myself some money. It's all very straightforward - especially if you're no stranger to farming sims.
The root of it all
While you do get stuck into farming early on, it's not what I spend the majority of my time doing during the demo. A lot of the initial days I play through are all quite story-heavy as they serve to establish the world and the troubles the residents face. As I'm playing as someone who's lost their memory, I feel like I'm learning something new each game day about both Harvestella's setting and the role I have to play. With a hub world where you can go to some of the starting areas, the story does lead you through the days to an extent to start off with - but I'm free to explore some of the locations and spend my time as I wish as the days goes on.
Outside of farming, the demo does also give me the chance to experience some combat. Harvestella has a job system, with different jobs that can be unlocked with varying skills and weapons to employ in combat. The only job I can unlock at this stage is fighter, which allows me to use a sword. Using JP, or job points, I also unlock a Blaze move which I can use to hit enemies with a fire-infused slash. One of the early areas I need to go to is home to some low-level foes, which allows me to test out some attacks. The combat, just like the farming, is a breeze to get to grips with.
The Harvestella demo is a great way of getting a substantial taster of the adventure before it launches later this year. By taking me through the opening of the game, I got a sense of its world and the game's mechanics. While I initially wanted to check it out for the farming aspect alone, the questions it left with me about its story and sense of mystery is what will no doubt draw me back in.
A fan of sowing seeds yourself? Check out our pick of the best farming games.
